All or Nothing
by castermerlin
Summary: In the distant future, humanity suffers through a war against a threat that they can not beat on their own, resulting in the creation of the Fleet Girl. This is the story of one Fleet Girl, a girl who embodies the word "Second Chance".
1. Awakening

The year was 2039, the year that would be forever be known as "The Year of Devouring".

That was the year that the parasite Abyssus had introduced itself to humanity, unannounced and uninvited. It was a strange creature that had suddenly risen from the dark and murky depths of the sea, a dangerous creature that not even the most experienced scientist knew existed.

Humanity had only a short moment of confusion and curiosity before it attacked, suddenly changing those emotions to fear and panic. After its arrival to the surface, the parasite attacked and turned every living thing within its grasp into prey. The militaries of the world retaliated against them but the battle soon turned one-sided.

Ships were sunk without much effort; Jets were peppered with holes as they ascended into the air; missiles evaporated into dust before they even made a hit. It was completely one-sided, the Abyssus merciless as they continued to ravage the seas, edging closer towards the lands of the Earth. Eventually this parasite gained a new name: Abyssals.

While the Abyssals were powerful, their fatal flaw was within their merciless behavior. Humanity learned that they couldn't immediately fight them with force and instead took a different approach, an approach that was far less flashy than the blazing guns of ships. They used research, science, and even religion. Anything that they believed could be a weapon against the threat.

Throughout history, one thing has always stayed consistent with humans: They do not go down with a whimper but with a yell. Humans do not immediately surrender to a powerful threat, they fight against it, kicking and screaming until they no longer can. Their civilization was at stake and while the Abyssals were strong, they soon used the resources they had to create a weapon that could fight against them, a weapon that was strong enough to become a protector of humanity.

The weapon known as the Fleet Girl.

* * *

 **Kancolle: All or Nothing**

 _Act 1: Awakening_

* * *

 **T** he beginning of a Fleet Girl's was not inside of a dusty factory nor was it being given a warm welcome by her commander. Instead, the first thing that a Fleet Girl saw when she opened her eyes was the white of the hospital room. The first thing she heard was not her commander but the sounds of bustling medical staff and the loud beeping of monitors.

At this stage, the shipgirl was not a gallant and brave warrior but instead, she was just as vulnerable and afraid as the people she would be tasked with protecting. It was similar to a freshly born child's first moments in the world: it was strange, confusing, and scary but it was also a place that felt familiar in a sense.

The young girl's pupils constricted as she stared up at the bright ceiling light, that harsh light that seemed to blind her to actually aid with her vision. She moved her hand over her eyes to block it out and sat up. As her vision cleared, she slowly observed the area around her.

 _Is this a hospital?..._

The last thing she remembered was the dark void embracing her and the distant voices of someone who she couldn't remember tearfully sending her off. Her mind was a thick fog, clouded, and memories were nothing more than vague fragments that were hard for her to piece together. Despite this strange and unnatural feeling, somewhere deep in her gut, she was supposed to be here. It was a reason that she couldn't say right now but it was something important, especially to her.

She looked towards the windows of the hospital room in order to gaze outward as the mild conditions outside. Her reflection was of a young girl with short straight hair, hair that was the color of ripe strawberries, who was wearing a gown of a saturated mint green. She slowly lifted a hand and ran it through her hair, like a child who had just gotten her hair done and wanted to feel the grease in-between their fingers. "This is..."

The door to the room had suddenly opened and quickly took her out of her thoughts. She had turned her head towards the person who had stepped inside; she was a tall and thin bespectacled woman who wore a labcoat of pure white, her dark brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and a clipboard in her hands. With these visualizers, it was clear to her that this woman was some kind of hospital staff.

"I see that you've finally woken up." She said with a smile. That smile of hers was warm, comforting even to the young girl who had just woken up in an unfamiliar place. "For a minute, I was worried that you would never wake up. I really don't want to see any more failures in my lifetime, that's for sure. The emotional impact of it is far too great to see in person."

"Where am I? Who are you?" The girl had asked the woman. "I don't even remember being admitted into a hospital of any kind."

"Do you remember anything?" The woman asked. "Any images at all?"

"Well..." Her brow furrowed as she pressed her lips together. "I remember a man. I don't know who it was but it was...it was almost as if he was saying goodbye to me, sending me off. Then everything was black and I woke up here."

"I see." The woman wrote down something on her clipboard before looking back up at the girl. "Well, I think that its pretty much clear that your operation went well without a hitch. Most girls usually have a foggy memory when they're recovering but it'll clear up in due time." The woman then gave her a salute. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm AH-5, hospital ship, Solace. I'm one of the hospital ship girls who works inside of the Naval Medical Center here in San Diego."

"Ship girls?"

"That's we are, you and me. We're ships in the form of humans, newly reborn." Solace then gave her a small smile. "It's rather strange but I can assure that's what we are. Now, do you happen to remember your name and class? Most shipgirls after their operation seem to have enough memory to tell me that, at least. I just need you to be able to tell me."

"My name?" The young girl was silent for awhile, scratching her cheek before she finally had answered Solace. "BB-39, Pennsylvania-class battleship Arizona. That's my name."

Arizona. Yes, that was her name. She was the battleship Arizona, a ship of hulking mass and strength just like all battleships were. Even though that was her name, she couldn't answer why saying it felt so...weird. The minute her name had came out of her mouth, she felt as if she had done something wrong.

Or perhaps she had assumed that was the case by Solace's wide-eyed expression, her grip on the clipboard so strong that her knuckles turned white. Arizona tilted her head at Solace, confused. "Di-Did I do something wrong?"

" _Wrong_?" Solace had said a little too strongly before she coughed in an effort to get herself together. "No, you didn't do anything. I was just...surprised by something, that's all. Besides, it's rather irrelevant to the situation now." She then pushed her glasses up. "Since you're awake, I think that you should meet the commander. Are you up for it?"

Arizona slowly nodded. "Sure. I would like to meet this commander, my commander."

"Great, great!" Solace said with a smile though Arizona could feel the atmosphere in the room change compared to earlier. Despite that, she couldn't exactly tell that it had changed before of how nervous Solace was. "Wh-Why don't I get a wheelchair so you don't have to worry about walking the entire way there, alright?"

Arizona gave a silent nod and a small smile to the hospital ship as she left the room.

[ 0 ]

After she had closed the door, Solace had taken a deep breath and quickly exhaled it out.

Arizona. Out of all of the ships that they could've summoned, they summoned the fucking Arizona. Summoning Arizona wasn't bad at all but her summoning certainly would make waves within the base.

Arizona was a newly summoned ship girl and thus her memory was still foggy. However, Solace had been summoned earlier and she had time. Time to remember every single moment of that day, the day that her home was on fire. She remembered the battleships that belched out thick black smoke into the skies, the frantic rushing of people as they desperately tried to cling onto their life while saving others, the flames that engulfed an once peaceful base.

She remembers her past life as clear as day, being one of the ships who were rushing around trying to save people.

As her mind went back to that day, she wondered about the possible fate of Arizona. Some had said that the ship girl program was a second chance for the once great heroes of the Second War and that statement resonated perfectly with Arizona's summoning. However, history had its ways of repeating itself.

Would she have to see that image again? The image of Arizona being torn in half as explosions rocked her entire core, that image of men laying dead within her steel, that wide puddle of oil, but instead of it happening to a hull of a steel, it would happen to a human body?

She shuddered at the grisly thought and then took another deep breath, shaking her head. No, she can't start worrying about that now, especially when she was just coming out of her slumber. This was a second chance for all the ships of the old wars and no ship deserved it more than Arizona. She just hoped that fate could be on her side for as long as it can.

Solace then walked off to retrieve a wheelchair for Arizona, her mind now focused on the new shipgirl whose previous death had propelled a country into a war that gave birth to the former lives of the USN Fleet Girls.

* * *

Author's Note

So, this is my first Kantai Collection fanfiction in a long time and I'll come forth and say that yes, the idea of a Kancolle fanfiction starring the USN boats of WW2 is incredibly overdone at this point and dare I say, overrated. Even more-so are my choices of protagonists for this.

Despite this, I wanted to give this fanfiction a shot while trying to work on a Touken Ranbu fanfiction. This idea actually was inspired by two things: A fanfiction on Wattpad which was essentially the Kancolle anime but with the cast swapped out with American boats, the Kancolle anime itself, and the highly popular Kancolle fanwork, Pacific. Also, Boku no Hero.

So with those inspiration points in mind, I decided to make a fanfiction that could be summarized as "The Kancolle Anime: USN Edition". I'm using the Kancolle anime as my backbone for the story's progress, creating a fanfiction that is in a similar tune to the anime. However, I'll be taking some liberties here and there; I will try and keep all the key plot points though.

Since this is USN girls, I'll try to use my own designs. With the canon USN girls in KC, I'll just use their designs and make some minor changes to them.

...I'm probably fully aware that my fanfic is probably not going to be up to league with many of the Kancolle fanfictions here (some of which have grown on me) but one of my 2018 goals is improvement in my writing so I'll try my best! I'm posting this on SV as well.


	2. Big Sister

"I have returned!" Solace as she pushed the empty wheelchair inside of the room. "I hope I didn't have you waiting too long, Arizona. I had to corner a few staff members before I could finally get one for us to use."

"It's fine, it wasn't even that long of a wait!" Arizona said hastily, adding a laugh right after. She was still nervous and confused about a lot of things but the friendly aura of Solace was helping her nerves ease bit by bit. Her face had taken a more quizzical look as she looked down at her hospital gown and then back at Solace. "Uhm...Will it be alright to see the commander in these clothes?"

A commander, defined as a person in authority. Even though her knowledge was temporarily limited, she knew that she was a ship and as a ship, she had a commander, a commander who held some kind of authority over her. It felt weird for her to arrive in their presence wearing nothing but a gown.

"Don't worry about that." Solace answered. "They're used to freshly operated girls coming into their office wearing their gowns. You're not exposing anyone so don't feel too bad about it. Anyway, ready to go?"

"Yes!" Arizona said with a nod. "I'll get into the chair right away then!"

Oh no.

Solace visibly panicked, rushing towards Arizona and holding her hand outward to grab at her. "Arizona, no! You shouldn't!"

Arizona threw the covers off of her and then placed her feet on the cool tile floor. In this short moment, Arizona became aware that the transition from being a battleship of steel to a human girl was a transition that was far more different than she assumed.

Once her feet were firmly on the floor, her knees started to bend and her legs buckled. She was like a sheep who had just been born, possessing legs that didn't know how to walk. Arizona's legs gave way under and she fell forward, only to be caught by Solace who grabbed her before she hit the tile.

The hospital ship exhaled a relieved sigh and looked to Arizona. "That was close~. Your legs aren't exactly stable yet so it'll be hard to move around for a few hours. You should have full mobility by the next day however so it's not too bad."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking properly." Arizona said as Solace helped her in the wheelchair. "Then in the meantime, I will try to keep myself uninjured and leave my navigation to you, Solace!"

"Of course." Solace said as she grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "I'm a hospital ship, it's my job to handle all of my patients, no matter what."

[ o ]

While they were traveling down the halls of the hospital center, Solace had decided to give Arizona a brief rundown of the situation. She told her that they were ships given human form, reborn once more, and were reborn through a desire to protect humanity from the enemy known as the Abyssals. It was nothing new as this was information that she could've gotten from a poster plastered outside but she hoped it would give some clarity to Arizona.

"So we've been called to defend humanity against these things called Abyssals?" Arizona then placed on a finger on her chin. "I don't get it then. We could've been brought back to our old ship forms, right? We could've just fought them like that instead of these forms."

"It's strange that we've been reborn as humans but this form seems to be the only way that we can put a fight against the Abyssals. I've seen the Abyssals tear right through the ships the humans have now and it's nuts. I heard that the cost of firing the weapons _once_ that those ships have cost millions of dollars!" Solace said. "Plus, I think that the humans find it troublesome trying to reconstruct all of our ship forms after the World War."

A World War.

In the inner workings of Arizona's mind, a once vague memory had suddenly been made clear. The Second World War, the war she was supposed to fight in. The image of that man she remembered had become clearer by a bit. She still couldn't pin down his identity but she could remember the dark fabric and details of his service uniform.

She silently cursed her memory being so cloudy. If she was capable of remembering her past life completely, she would be able to tell who that man was and why he suddenly decided to show up in her dreams.

"Arizona?" Solace waved her hand in her face. "Is something wrong? You're spacing out."

Arizona blinked twice, taken out of her train of thought, and immediately turned her attention to Solace. "Sorry, Solace! I was just thinking about something when you mentioned that war. I know that we were in it but my memory is quite cloudy around it."

"The second World War. The sequel to the first Great War, a sequel that was more bloodier than the last one." Solace said as she thought back to her times when she was still a boat, constantly on the go as she carried injured soldiers and hurried to get to them to proper medical help. She found it lucky that she wasn't torpedoed like a few unlucky ships like her. "There was a lot of times where it felt like the war was going to swallow us up but the shining blessing of hope carries us to victory in the end."

"Was my battle record helpful in that regard?"

With one question, Solace could feel her heart stop as the once tame atmosphere between the two was filled with underlying dread and panic. Everyone knew what happened to the Arizona. Everyone knew that the Japanese came to Pearl Harbor and sent their planes to destroy her when they realized the carriers were there to play. Everyone knew that Arizona sank, her hull floating at the bottom of Pearl's waters.

Everyone knew...except Arizona. She was freshly reborn, her memory fragmented and vague, and Solace felt her heart break at the mere idea of telling her, this girl now staring at her with bright eyes of curiosity, that she was nothing more than a target.

As her grip tightened on the handles, the hospital ship swallowed hard and then made a decision. She was Solace, she was a ship whose name meant comfort and she would give it to Arizona. She would tell her a lie, just a small little white lie so she could feel comfortable, feel comfortable in the belief that she did something to end that cursed war.

If everything went right, she would just accept it and be on her merry way, never bothering with it again.

"Your battle record? Why, you were amazing, Arizona." Solace answered. "In fact, you were one of the many stars in the war. You were the first ship that fired towards the Japanese when they tried to perform a sneak attack, the one that gallantly led the other fine ships into the war for the United States."

It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't the truth either. She just wanted Arizona to feel like the others: valued.

"I can't believe it, I was the forerunner of the Navy?" Arizona put her hands on her cheeks as they burned bright red. "Wo-Wow, I don't know what to say really. I didn't expect myself to be such a big deal back in that war, especially for something that feels like my job." She then exhaled a deep breath. "To fire the first shots...what an honor."

"It is quite the honor but Arizona, please don't get so hung up on that." Solace said. "We're in the present now so you don't need to worry about your past."

And she prayed to God that she didn't.

[ o ]

The automatic doors of the hospital slid open as Solace pushed Arizona outside and then took a brief look around before she made an exasperated sigh. "Ugh. I swear I told that woman to get out of the office an-"

"ARIZONA!"

From the heavens above, a person had launched themselves towards Arizona with a loud shout of glee and the force of a speeding locomotive. The scream startled Arizona who made a sudden jerk backward while Solace immediately moved to protect her patient.

"You are not doing this again, Pennsy!" Solace shouted as she grabbed the person before they could even make contact with Arizona and placed them firmly on the ground of the hospital's sidewalk. She then pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed before she turned to the person, arms crossed. "Pennsylvania. I am rather tired of you deciding that every ship girl is warranted for a first-time scare."

"I do not scare them!" Pennsylvania gawked, offended at her words.

"Then explain the several instances where I've had to deal with Fleet Girls getting the daylights spooked out of them by you."

"Those are just coincidences!" She then put her hands on her hips. "Besides, I came here for a reason. Is this girl really her? Was Maryland telling the truth when she said that this girl was my actual dear sister?"

"Yes." Solace. "This is Arizona who just summoned, might I add."

Pennsylvania had let out a loud, high-pitched, squeal as she tackled Arizona into a hug, threatening to tip the wheelchair over. "Oh my dear sister, it's been so long! Finally, we're reunited once more!"

"Pennsylvania." Solace said in a strained voice. "I just said that she was summoned. I am not in the mood to admit her back here when she hasn't even had her first sortie yet."

While Solace was busy scolding, Arizona was so overwhelmed by Pennsylvania's sudden reactions that she didn't know how to react besides a wide-eyed stare of bewilderment. From what she saw, Pennsylvania was a tall woman with sandy blonde hair and dark eyes. Her clothes were not the prim uniforms of the Navy but a casual outfit of a baggy sweater, grey plaid skirt, and a lopsided beret.

"You are...Pennsylvania?" She said slowly. "My big sister?"

She didn't expect her sister to be so loud and direct, especially during their first interaction.

Noticing Arizona's tone, Pennsylvania let go of her and backed away. "I should formally introduce myself." She then gave her a salute with a wide grin. "I'm BB-38, the lead ship of the Pennsylvania-class battleships! You can call me Pennsylvania, Pennsy, or Big sis. I don't mind which name you give me!"

"If it was up to me, I would call you a nuisance." Solace said, her lips a thin line.

Pennsylvania's eyebrow twitched at Solace's comment and she quickly grabbed onto the bars of Arizona's wheelchair. "Anyway, I think I can handle taking care of you well enough." Her brow then furrowed. "Seriously, don't tell me they're going to have you fight in that gown? I refuse to let my sister fight in such a gear!"

"First of all, she's _new_. She isn't going to sortie for awhile and her combat clothes aren't ready yet." Solace said. "Secondly, I thought I requested for Maryland or West Virginia to come here and take her to the commander for her briefing."

"The commander's out, you know that." Pennsylvania said. "Both of them are busy so they told me to come and fetch Arizona instead!"

"What are they busy with?" Solace said, voice raised. "Are they actually continuing with that plan? I thought we weren't planning to attack until much later."

"You know how they are. Ever since the commander left, they've been the ones in charge and they're doing all of the planning for the next big operation. Not to worry because as Arizona's big sister, I'll be able to take care of her!"

"Fine, if they let you worry about her then I'll let her go." She then narrowed her eyes at the blonde-haired woman. "I just don't want to see her back because of one of your antics, Pennsylvania."

Pennsylvania pouted. "Why are you always so hung about that? It was only a few times!"

"Because I'm a hospital ship and it's my job to take care of my patients, even after they left my care." Solace said sternly. She then turned to Arizona and relaxed, giving the battleship a small smile. "Arizona, I'll let your sister take care of everything now. Hopefully, she won't let you get into too much trouble while you're still new to everything. Your ability to walk should come around today and by the time tomorrow comes, you'll be all set with combat clothes." She then put her hands on her hips. "If you need anything, just come by and visit alright?"

"Of course, Solace!" Arizona said with a nod. "Thank you for everything! I'll be sure to do my best as a Fleet Girl! If my sister was put in charge of me, then I trust her to take me to Maryland."

"Well, I hope that she takes you there almost immediately." Solace said. "Maryland is very strict when it comes to punctuality and it's important that you get everything straight there or else, you might get hurt."

"I know about Maryland and her whole "everything has to be done on time" shtick." Pennsylvania said flatly. "Honestly, that can wait for another time. I have more important things...like showing Arizona the base and her new dorm! It's the perfect time to do so!"

"Pennsylvania..." Solace said in a stern tone of warning. "I just said that Maryland is strict about first meetings! If you don't get Arizona there quickly, you both are going to hear a mouthful!"

However, despite how right Solace's words were, Pennsylvania had decided to tune her out and was already leaving with Arizona in tow. With a long sigh, she rubbed her temples, already feeling her nerves pushed way past their limits. She needed to calm down, perhaps this was a good thing. If Arizona can get accustomed to the base fast enough, she'll have less of a chance of constantly questioning that lie. She just hoped her big sister wouldn't do anything to mess things up.


	3. Cali

Arizona was awestruck by the sheer size of the base.

Though Arizona had some memories of her old base, none of them could prepare her for the sights that she saw as Pennsylvania had pushed her along the sidewalk. Streets as far as the eye could see, buildings that towered over her small human form, and the docked ships that were so big that she could see them even from where they were at. The sheer size of the base was overwhelming but it was something made her feel excited and ready to see more.

"This base is big~!" Arizona said in gleeful awe, eyes bright.

"Yep! It's our own little town!" Pennsylvania said. "Even though us Fleet Girls are the ones leading the fight against the Abyssals, we need humans as our support and backup so this base is both our home and theirs. Who knows? Maybe when there's enough information on the Abyssals, the humans can start fighting on the same level as us."

"Abyssals..." Arizona then looked to Pennsylvania. "Pennsylvania, what exactly are these Abyssals like? Solace told me a bit about them but are they really as fearsome as our old enemies back in the last war?"

"The Abyssals aren't pretty, to be honest." She answered. "Some of them are just large beings made of nothing but teeth while others are merely a mess of metal and body parts. There are some more human-looking ones but they're just animalistic as the ones who don't look human. It seems that every Abyssal is focused on killing humans and taking as many resources as they can, regardless of form."

 _Monsters made of teeth, beings that are nothing but body parts and metal..._

The younger battleship nodded to herself as she clenched her fists. Despite the fact that she hasn't fought or seen an Abyssal yet, she was going to make her personal goal to defeat as many as she can. Solace told her that in the previous war, she was a forerunner, a leader of the pack who led the other ships to victory, and she would do the same thing here as she did back then. "Right. Then I'll have to do my best to protect everyone!"

"Oh, Ari. Don't put that much burden on yourself." Pennsylvania said with a small smile. "After all, there's a bunch of us already summoned plus I can't let those Abyssals put a hand on my sis! As your beautiful big sister, it's my job to keep you safe and sound!"

The duo's walk around the base would come to an end as Pennsylvania had finally come to a stop, prompting Arizona to look upward at the building in front of her. With reddish-brown bricks and a beige roof, the two-story building in front of her had given off a comfy and domestic feeling compared to the sleek professionalism of the other buildings they had passed by.

"Tada~! It's my dorm!" Pennsylvania said with a grin. "Well, our dorm actually. I'm pretty sure you'll be rooming here with us since we have space here."

"Our dorm?" Arizona then looked to her sister. "Wa-Wait a minute! What about Maryland? Wasn't I supposed to be seeing her, like what Solace said?"

"I know, I know but this is much more important. Plus, we'll get to Maryland soon enough! Can't I show my little sis a taste of what living here feels like first?"

Pennsylvania had begun to push the wheelchair but then suddenly stopped and looked at Arizona. "Ari, how about you try walking for a little bit?"

"Walking?" Arizona's brow furrowed as her lips pressed together. Ever since she almost smashed her face against the hospital floor, she's been hesitant to walk plus she clearly remembered Solace saying that she wouldn't get full mobility until tomorrow. It seemed wrong to her to blatantly go against her caretaker's orders; however, Pennsylvania was her sister ship and even if they've only seen each other for a few, she was already feeling some form of a familial bond with her. She wouldn't harm her after spending all that time claiming that she would protect her.

"I don't really know, Pennsylvania. The first time I tried walking, I almost fell and Solace said that I wouldn't get my mobility back until tomorrow! Should I really try again?"

"She said your _full_ mobility. I'm pretty sure you can walk but it'll be pretty stiff compared to the girls who are used to it." Pennsylvania answered. "Besides, if you don't try to get used to walking now, it'll be harder for you to adjust to your mobility when it's fully underway."

She then moved to stand in front of Arizona; her hands were on her hips and she had a wide, toothy, grin on her face. "I mean the biggest thing that's stopping you is a fear of falling flat on your face, ain't it? Just push yourself forward, one step at a time, and don't look down. As long as you keep your mind on the goal at hand, walking will be as easy as firing a gun."

"Well...Okay..."

Arizona had taken a deep breath and then gripped the armrests of the wheelchair, pushing herself out of the wheelchair and onto her feet. When both of her feet were firmed placed on the ground, her legs had buckled like they did in the hospital and she had let out a high-pitched yelp and closed her eyes shut.

"Come on, Ari! Don't stand there, remember what I said!"

Right. She couldn't stand around and let her fears get to her; she was a famous ship who stared her enemies in the face, just like Solace said. She couldn't let herself be stopped by obstacles as small as this. Arizona took some more deep breaths and finally mustered up the will to move, placing one foot after the other. One step at a time. Left foot, right foot. Left. Right. Left. Right.

Ever so often, her legs would buckle but she would fight the urge to open her eyes and look down and continued to walk like she had done before. Her legs felt unstable, like jello that was constantly being poked at, but she was moving and that's all that mattered to her. Eventually, she didn't need to tell herself to keep moving and soon, the toes of her slippers would touch her sister's dress shoes.

Arizona slowly opened her eyes and she looked down at her own feet before she moved to Pennsylvania's beaming face.

"I-I did it?" There was a layer of disbelief in her voice when she had said but that she was quickly washed away as she threw her arms in the air with a loud shout. "I did it! My first walk!"

"See? Never doubt your big sister's words~." Pennsylvania then looked down to Arizona's legs. While the girl had successfully walked, it was only a short distance and judging by the trembling of her thighs, any more walking with the proper protection was going to result in something nasty. "Though, we should hurry inside. I believe I have some leg braces in my room that you can wear so you don't have to put too much pressure on your legs."

Afterward, Arizona had followed Pennsylvania inside of the dorm, making sure to keep close to her. As the two walked down the hallway of the second floor, she had looked at the doors they had passed by before opening her mouth to ask a question. "There are so many doors. How many of us live here?"

"Quite a few." Pennsylvania answered. "It's why we're in rooms of two but on the bright side, the rooms are pretty spacious! I can show you my room when we get there, alright?"

The two continued to walk towards Pennsylvania's dorm until one of the doors in front of Arizona had suddenly swung open, causing the red-haired girl to let out a loud surprised yell as she jumped back, tripped over her own feet, and landed squarely on her behind. "O-Oww..." She hissed as she rubbed her back. As she recovered, she looked upward to see a giant surfboard sticking right out of the door.

The surfboard would then move as the owner had backed out into the hallway and placed it against the wall beside the door. She was a girl no younger than Arizona, with short, slightly unkempt, blonde hair and skin a smooth tan color, much like the sun-kissed sand of beaches. "I wonder if I should tidy this thing up a bit..." She said to herself before her eyes turned to Arizona. Immediately, she snapped out of her inner thoughts and moved to pull her up. "Whoa! Don't tell me I made ya wipe out! Here, let me help."

After she had pulled Arizona back onto her feet, she then squinted at her as her foot tapped against the floorboard. "Say, I haven't seen a chick like you before and judging by that gown..." She then pointed a finger at her. "You must be a new summon! Wicked! A fresh newbie in our parts! So which ship are ya? Know yer class? Has Maryland yelled into your ear yet? Opinion on the waters this year?"

With each question the girl leaned forward until she was inches away from Arizona's face, the latter being forced to step back as her eyes widened with astonishment. Nervously, she gave the girl a salute. "Uhm, I'm Arizona of the Pennsylvania-class battleships! BB-39! I haven't been to the waters yet bu-but as a ship, I hope to sail once more!" She then took a deep breath and exhaled. "Wh-Who are you exactly?"

"Ah right! Where are my manners?" She then saluted back. "The name's California, one of the famed Tennessee-class battleships, though you can call me Cali; I ain't one for the formal greetings all the other battleships got." She then grinned. "Ohoho~, so this is the legendary Arizona, huh? How exciting! I've been waitin' to meet my old comrade, the legend herself!"

"Le-Legend?" Arizona's face became as red as a beet. Solace wasn't kidding that her reputation was quite big, California was right here calling herself a legend! Did she really do that much in the old war? Enough that people would openly praise her? It's a shame that she can't remember it, she would love to reminisce about it all.

In an effort to stay humble and not look like she was overflowing with glee, she turned away and laughed weakly, hand on her cheek. "Ahahaha, you don't need to go around and say all of that, honest! I was just doing my job so it couldn't be helped. War is unpredictable so you never know what might happen."

"I know right?" California then blew out a breath. "When the Japs attacked, it was a real bummer. Everyone's eyes were on you when it had happened, you were gushing out so much smoke!"

Gushing out smoke? That sounded off. Sure, Solace told her that she was firing shots like a manic in the beginning of the war but her guns wouldn't gush out smoke. "Sm-Smoke? That's strange. I don't think my guns would belch out smoke unless they suffer damage!"

"Well, I would think they would after-"

"California."

Suddenly, the color from California's face disappeared as Pennsylvania had an iron grip on her shoulder, her once cheerful face replaced by a cold and menacing glare.

"Here I am trying to give my sister a tour of her future living area and you, not only, scare the living daylights out of her but knock her flat on her butt." She then leaned to the other's ear, her tone so sharp and dangerous that it could be compared to a sword. "I'm going to give you only one warning but if you make her cry, I'll give you no mercy. Understand?"

"Ye-Yes." California stammered in a rushed tone, all while sweating bullets and fidgeting. "Won't even do that, ma'am."

"Uh, Pennsylvania?" Arizona asked as she tried to poke her nose into their conversation. "Is something wrong?"

In a seemingly fluid transition, Pennsylvania's silent rage had vanished as she went back to her bright self and pulled her sister close to her and patted her head. "There's absolutely nothing wrong, Arizona! I just had to tell California some very important things, that's all!"

"Also, Pennsy." California said, still mildly trembling. "Okie went missing again and Nevada can't find her. I thought I should tell you that."

"Okie?" Pennsylvania then sighed. "She probably went on her walks again. I guess we should tell Maryland before something happens to her."

"Oh, let me go then!" Arizona said suddenly. "I don't know this Okie girl but I wanna help! Plus I need to see Maryland too so I can just go there! As a legend of the seas, one of my duties is finding missing people!"

She then turned on her heel and began to walk away, only to be stopped when Pennsylvania had grabbed her by the collar and dragged her back. "Hold it, Arizona." Her older sister said. "You're not looking for her in a hospital gown. I don't think you've received any clothes yet so you can borrow some of mine until then, alright? California, I need you to be with Arizona and guide her to Maryland."

"Huh?" California gawked. "Come on, Pennsy! I wanna go surfin', can't someone else help the newbie out?"

Pennsylvania then gave her a glare that sent a shiver down her back and California backed off.

"In the meantime, I'll take Arizona to my room to give her some clothes. Just don't go running off."

As the two walked off to Pennsylvania's room, Arizona had looked to her sister. "Hey, Pennslyvania...I was a hero back when I was a ship, right?"

Pennsylvania was silent for a brief moment before she nodded. "Yes. You were a sparkling hero. A hero that people found strength in, a hero...a hero that motivated a country to fight back."

"I see..." She then asked another question. "Hey, Pennslyvania. Was I beautiful?"

"Yes. You were...absolutely beautiful."

[ ]

After a few moments, Arizona came down the steps, her hospital gown and slippers replaced by a sleeveless light blue striped shirt, a high-waist navy blue skirt, and white sandals. California, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch within the living room of the dorm area, almost dozing off. The younger Pennsylvania-class poked at her leg braces a few times before she had turned her attention to her. "Ah, I'm sorry if I stopped you from going out." She said. "I know that I'm new but I probably shouldn't be weighing you down like this."

"Hu-Huh?" California snapped out of her nap and quickly reassured Arizona. "Nah, don't worry about it. As long as I can get out on the beach before the sun takes a snooze, it'll be good. Besides, we gotta worry about Okie. Okie usually goes by Oklahoma, she's Nevada's little sis."

"Does she goes on these walks often?"

"Mhm. She does it a lot, ends up gettin' into a bit of trouble each time so people often go out and get her before she can get hurt." She then put her hands into the pockets of her red varsity jacket. "Anyway, if yer ready to go, Ari, then let's head out. I think I have a good idea of where we can start looking for her."

As the two walked out of the dorm, California then turned to Arizona. "So, since you're new and all, I bet you're itchin' for sorties, aren't you?"

"Sorties? Well, they're my job, aren't they?" She replied. "Though, I just used to walking today and I assume that the sorties will be more than just walking, especially with the amount of action we did back in the last war!"

"It ain't that bad, really." California answered back. "All you gotta do is chill out once you land in the water, be in tune with your weapons, and then it'll be smooth sailing from there."

"Chill out?"

"Chill out means to relax. I've learned this: You can't just run into things, expecting to shred the waves if you don't unwind. You need to be as cool as a cucumber, let the wind do its thing and ride with it, not against it. Once you've reached that point, you've officially chilled out."

"I thought sorties were about battling enemies, not shredding waves?" Arizona then placed a finger on her chin. "And is it really possible to ride the wind? I mean we're boats! I thought water was our specialty, not the wind! Shouldn't we leave the wind for the planes?"

California then sighed in frustration. This was going to be a long search session.

* * *

Author's Note: My apologies for the third chapter coming out so late. I've been preoccupied with a lot of stuff irl-wise so I haven't had the time to sit down and write stuff. With most of my obstacles out of the way however, I'm hoping that the upcoming chapters come at a much faster rate.


	4. Ghost

The search for Oklahoma had, so far, proven to be absolutely fruitless. Even with California guiding her around, the two couldn't find a single trace related to the whereabouts of the missing battleship. They weren't even able to find her in her usual hiding spots, something that was especially troubling seeing how she managed to get herself into trouble almost all the time, according to California

As the base's trolley moved along the tracks, California laid her head against her with a loud groan. "This is hopeless. We haven't found her in any of her usual hiding places! Either she decided to hide somewhere new or she might gotten into trouble already."

"This is troubling." Arizona said. "Hey, California. Has Oklahoma ever been hurt by the trouble she gets roped in?"

"Well, she does get banged up often but that's not completely her fault. See, Okie got a major case of bad luck so like, any situation she's in, it just does south for no reason. That's why we need to find her before she ends up being put out of commission for too long."

The trolley had come to a halt in front of their desired stop and the two battleships had gotten off. As it chugged away, California then turned to Arizona. "So, how about this for a plan: We'll split up. I'll go north and you go south. I know Pennsy wants me lookin' after ya but I think you know how to navigate pretty well plus we're near a main gate! There's a map nearby which can help. That seem cool with you?"

"Right!" Arizona then quickly saluted. "I'll perform the mission successfully!"

"You don't need to salute..." California said. "Argh, I guess Pennsy would want me to ask you but are you sure the map is enough? I can give out some directions if you need it."

"The map should be good enough! Besides, I can try and find my way around and I don't want to stop you from looking so please, don't worry about me."

As Arizona stared at her, all bright-eyed and determined, California had opened her mouth to say but then bit her lip and gave her a nod instead. "If you say so, Ari, but still, just give me a holler if you need to or head back here. We'll meet after we've searched!"

After the two had said their goodbyes to each other, they then split up in their respective directions to continue their search for Oklahoma. However, as soon as Arizona had approached the nearby map of the base, a sudden feeling of panic and dread loomed over her. How could she be so careless? This place was ridiculously big! Even with the map, it wouldn't take her long to get lost! But she didn't want to hinder California so she had just kept her mouth shut about it!

She swallowed hard and then smacked her cheeks a few times in an effort to pull herself back together. "Okay, Arizona. You promised California that you would search for Oklahoma and you're going to do it." She said to herself. "A prized ship like you should never go back on your promise! That isn't the right thing to do!"

Not wanting to waste time, Arizona then ventured further into the southern side of the base. It had the same atmosphere as almost everywhere else that she had been to: it was big and downright intimidating but it was also something that garnered awe and praise. While her lack of knowledge of the modern world probably contributed to this, the young battleship was completely taken in awe by the sights of the winding streets and buildings with signs decorated in colorful lights.

She was so absorbed into the colorful sights around her that she had failed to notice where she was going and soon she had arrived in a more secluded area of the base, a place that she was completely unfamiliar with. As she looked around the verdant landscape of the courtyard, Arizona began to panic once more. "Oh no, don't tell me..." She threw her arms into the air. "I got lost?!"

Arizona then put her hands over her face in shame.

 _So much for being a prized ship with a good sense of direction, I can't even walk around here without getting lost! I mean I guess it's my first time exploring this place on my own but I shouldn't be getting lost! I should be looking for Oklahoma, not have Oklahoma look for me!_

Before her little inner rant could continue on, something had caught her eye. As she scrambled to get a grip on herself, the dull hum of a plane engine had passed over her head. After craning her head up in the direction of the sound, she could see the blue-grey scheme of a Wildcat fighter. As surprising the sight of the plane was, she couldn't help but feel like she's seen before. If only her mind wasn't so foggy.

Still, being intrigued at the sight of it and already lost, Arizona had decided to pursue the plane and quickly followed after; if one thing was certain, the plane would have an owner. After a short while, her pursuit of the plane had lead her to a dock. Its small size and wooden foundation had given the clue that this was not a dock for the gigantic ships that she saw as Pennsylvania had pushed along the sidewalk but she didn't care about what ship docked there, she cared about the girl that she saw.

Her hair was a silvery color that shone in the sunlight and her clothes just as casual as Arizona's was but the flight deck attached to her waist and the bow in her hand were both indicators of a much more important observation: this girl was a Fleet Girl, just like her. The Wildcat plane had circled above the girl's head a few times before it dove downward, landing perfecting on the strip of the flight deck.

Arizona had extended her hand in order to tap the girl on the shoulder, only for the girl to react first and grab Arizona by the wrist, a move that had startled the battleship. Her gaze was cold and seemed to pierce right through her, something that sent a chill down Arizona's spine and caused her to gulp loudly.

"What do you want?" She asked curtly before her brow furrowed. "Hmm...I haven't seen a girl like you before so you must be new. I was expecting some peace for once but I suppose all newcomers hunt me down first. Just state your name already and maybe I'll humor whatever requests you want."

"Uhm...Well..." Arizona had froze in place, completely speechless at both the girl's intimidating aura and her piercing glare. It was clear that this girl was on a completely different level than her, especially if she was calling her a newbie. She had inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and then finally spoke up. "I'm Arizona, a Pennsylvania-class battleship! BB-39! It was just...I saw your plane! I got lost while looking for someone so I should thank you for that, miss."

At first, the girl didn't let up her cold stare but then scoffed. "Geez. Hey, Arizona, can you do me a favour?"

"A favour?" Arizona then tilted her head. "Su-Sure! What is it?"

"Go to the office and request your immediate discharge and scraping." She said without missing a beat. "If you're pathetic enough to get lost in your own base, then you would be nothing but liability in the seas. Even for a new Fleet Girl, this behavior is disgraceful."

With that, she had walked off and left a stunned Arizona on the docks. Her gaze wasn't the only thing that was cold; even her words carried the same frigidness. Motionless, Arizona then didn't know how to fully process that request and perhaps thankfully for her collapsing joy, she didn't have to think about it for much longer.

A hand had suddenly grabbed her shoulder and Arizona flinched upon the touch. Her heel had turned and she was faced with the sight of a young woman with short brown hair, the color of rich chocolate, and her face decorated in freckles. Immediately, the girl had shied away from Arizona and yelped, holding her hands up in surrender. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! It's just that...this is one of my hiding spots."

"Hiding spot?..." It all had suddenly clicked in Arizona's head. "You're Okie! California was looking all over for you!"

"She was looking for me?" Before she could dive further into that, Oklahoma had brought her attention back to Arizona. "Though, who are you?"

"Oh! I'm Arizona, Pennsylvania's younger sister, the star of the past war!"

"Ari-Arizona?"

That's when Oklahoma had become as white as a sheet. Her eyes were large and glued to Arizona as her face twisted into an expression of unimaginable horror, as if she had seen something that had truly frighten her to her very core. She had taken slow steps back as she trembled, on the verge of tears. "N-No...Not my other half! Not the other Ghost of Pearl!"

"Ghost of Pearl?" Arizona repeated before walking forward towards her. "Hey, what's with that weird attitude of yours? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Arizona moving forward had only intensified Oklahoma's fear as tears began to spill from her eyes. The gentle atmosphere of the base was interrupted by the harsh shriek that came of her mouth and soon Oklahoma had forced her trembling legs to move and soon she was running away from Arizona.

"Leave me alone! I'm not dying with you! Not again!"

Arizona could only blink, frozen in surprise.

"Ghost of Pearl?...Dying?"

Confusion. That was what she was feeling. Solace had never told her anything about this "Ghost" thing nor did her sister Pennsylvania. She had scratched her head, her mind coming to a blank as she tried, and struggled, to conjure up a memory that might explain everything. Though it would be fruitless; her mind and memories were still as blurry as they were when she had woken up. Perhaps it had something to do with that sneak attack Solace had mentioned...

Arizona then shook her head. That's impossible. She was the hero, the one who had effortlessly scared off the Japanese! She wouldn't just die at this "Pearl" place! Oklahoma was just being out of it, probably!

She then nodded to herself. "That's it! California did say that Okie was a weird one so she's acting silly! I'll just have to chase her down and probably give a hero's encouragement! Just like what Solace said! Wait up, Okie!"

The battleship would then run off in the direction of Oklahoma, hurriedly trying to catch up with her. However, there was someone else in the background. Someone who had watched the entire conversation take place. After a deep sigh, she had frowned and clenched her fists. "Solace..."

She then had quickly walked off before anyone stopped her. This was a secret that only she could hold.


End file.
